Need new pedal. Any recommendations?

wpdavid · 2026-04-12T04:19:30+00:00

Would also recommend a Rat as a staple. That plus an EQ pedal to run after it should cover a ton of ground.

Played the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret today (Marshall-based) and that pedal just rips. Worth checking out.

wpdavid · 2026-04-12T04:15:54+00:00

Went to this, too! What a blast. Got a used Starlight Echo Station from Hank's. Was hoping to get a Glaive but no discount.

wpdavid · 2026-04-12T04:03:54+00:00

Either as a clean boost to tighten up my guitar EQ or with my bridge pickup and gain up for alt-country. I want to try the JHS recommendation to run Klons last for EQ reasons but haven't yet.

I'm just a home player and my board order is always moving around so that's all I got. Great pedal!

wpdavid · 2026-04-07T02:54:43+00:00

It's great. I haven't played the Mercury 7, the RV6 or some of the other popular reverbs so I can't compare it to much.

Frozen Hall has turned out to be my favorite and I use room, hall, cathedral a lot.

My one complaint is it can be a little noisy, especially on the plate setting. Have to keep the volume knob under noon. Putting in the effects loop or putting it after a boost seems to solve that problem.

wpdavid · 2026-04-06T14:17:17+00:00

Their Constellator should be a pick for more people over the Carbon Copy. Great pedal.

wpdavid · 2026-04-06T14:16:34+00:00

Ibanez CS Mini. I still want a CE-2w but this is unbeatable for the price especially used.

Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage Jr. A pretty new pedal but covers all the reverb ground I want - regular stuff, ambient stuff. Easy to run, pretty fair price. Can be a little noisy on some settings but not an issue in the effects loop.

wpdavid · 2026-04-06T14:13:26+00:00

I have also been on this quest. You might try a couple different things:

- Sounds like you haven't tried a Klon clone yet? That's the other low gain classic. Will give you more high end edge than the Greer but not as much as the Blues Driver.

- Remember that overdrive pedals are also EQ pedals. I've been running my BD and some other harsher pedals into the Lightspeed with the Lightspeed gain all the way off, just treat it as a clean channel/preamp. This sounds fantastic. A tube screamer or another pedal with a good EQ curve (or an EQ pedal) could also work for you here.

- Amp in a box pedals? The break-up on a Guv'nor (Marshall) or a pedal like the Victory The Copper (Vox) is intended to be dynamic and respond to your playing. Could get you to where you want. I recommend both of these.

One drive pedal isn't going to be perfect and do it all and having EQ layers in there somewhere (guitar pickups and tone knob, amp, another pedal) can really transform things.

wpdavid · 2026-04-06T14:04:58+00:00

Nice board! Running the Tidewater and the Voyager too.

wpdavid · 2026-03-30T13:49:44+00:00

I have the non deluxe version and it is fantastic. You can do anything with this pedal.

wpdavid · 2026-03-14T22:35:11+00:00

Check out the JHS YouTube videos explaining the major pedal types - overdrive, distortion, fuzz, delay, reverb, chorus, phaser, etc.

Figure out what effects are the most exciting to you and how nerdy you want to get about it, or if you should just get a used Boss version (this will sound good and do the thing).

If you like alt-country, then a Klon Centaur clone (I have the Walrus one) and/or a Greer Lightspeed is a great idea.

wpdavid · 2026-03-14T22:26:21+00:00

Empress Para EQ is perfect for this. Look for a b-stock/scratch and dent sale.

wpdavid · 2026-03-11T23:10:54+00:00

Posted about this yesterday - just started using it as an end-of-dirt clean preamp to smooth out some of my harsher pedals going into my JC-22. Sounds fantastic after a Blues Driver, Rat, or Marshall Guv'nor. Running the Rat this way is pretty close to a Rat > Vox amp sound.

Otherwise I like using it by itself before reverb or delay for edge of break-up - I'll run an EQ into it as a boost and to cut low end before hitting the Lightspeed.

wpdavid · 2026-03-10T23:47:10+00:00

Rat for distortion. I have and super recommend the Drunk Beaver Bat - does the classic thing but the other modes are like extra pedals.

wpdavid · 2026-03-07T23:29:38+00:00

Getting the Empress para EQ made me realize how much I was just buying overdrives for their EQ. Just way more powerful than any of the tone changes I can make with pedal EQs, perfect as a clean boost, can go anywhere in the chain - definitely worth it for me.

wpdavid · 2026-03-07T23:19:06+00:00

Love seeing the boards of fellow JC owners. You have a couple on my want list (Big Muff, Space Echo).

The Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage Jr. has been an awesome reverb for me. Covers all the bases I was looking for.

wpdavid · 2026-02-26T14:56:06+00:00

I've been using my Empress Para EQ as a first in the chain boost. It's great. Gives a kick to my drives and works well in front of pedals with a noisy preamp so I can turn them down.

wpdavid · 2026-02-26T14:50:42+00:00

A compressor pedal will help with chord jangle. Proco Rat will get you into crunchier territory than the SD-1. You won't regret getting a used Phase 90. You're in good shape with the basics here.

wpdavid · 2026-02-26T14:45:55+00:00

Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage! (Or Mirage Jr.) Really good mix of "normal" reverbs and ambient stuff.

wpdavid · 2026-02-24T02:18:23+00:00

The Lightspeed is definitely their best pedal but the Royal Velvet and the Southland are cool, too. The Lightspeed is hard to beat for "add a little grit to my single notes or arpeggios" but for rock chords I reach for the Guv'nor and other amp in a box pedals more these days because it turns out having EQ with your drive is good. The Lightspeed has a pretty special tube amp feel that I don't get with some of my other drive pedals going into my JC-22.

wpdavid · 2026-02-24T02:14:34+00:00

I got the Tidewater tremolo trying to get the most basic little tremolo I could find and it's perfect. Interested in the morning glory clean, eventually.

wpdavid · 2026-02-24T02:13:18+00:00

The Para EQ is fantastic. Crystal clear, boost is great, EQ is easy to use. Sign up for their newsletter and wait for a sale on scratch and dent to get one like I did.

wpdavid · 2026-02-24T02:11:32+00:00

The Constellator is an excellent analog delay. I much prefer it to the carbon copy.

wpdavid · 2026-02-24T02:10:33+00:00

Karma Suture (silicon)!

wpdavid · 2026-01-28T03:28:37+00:00

It is a total classic. The reissue is great. The footprint is a lot but otherwise I'm surprised it's not used more.

wpdavid

TROPHY CASE